No Coneheads! Army regs govern wear of microfleece cap
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GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — Soldiers, beware: The Army fashion police are out on patrol.
And that winter cap you’re wearing with your PT uniform shouldn’t make you look like a longshoreman ... or a Conehead.
“Some soldiers like living on the cutting edge of ACU fashion,” tut-tutted U.S. Army Europe public affairs officer Sgt. Maj. Lisa Hunter in a recent column published in at least one Army newspaper in Germany.
The microfleece cap — introduced in 2007 — is “the most misunderstood uniform item to come along in a long time,” Hunter wrote in the Bavarian News.
“The green microfleece cap is a ‘do’ when worn with the Improved Physical Fitness Uniform,” she wrote. “It’s also a great [Army Combat Uniform] accessory to wear when pulling prolonged duties, such as guard duty, in freezing temperatures.”
But, don’t pull on that cap if you’re planning a short walk to the post exchange.
And under no circumstances, should you roll it up.
The cap must be pulled down snugly, she wrote.
Soldiers at Grafenwöhr had mixed opinions about the hats.
Some people roll them up because they think it makes them look more stylish, said Pvt. Sylvanus Jean, 23, of Baltimore.
But, “It doesn’t look cool,” he said.
Spc. Mark Jackson, 24, of Marion, Ind., said he’s not fond of the hats.
“It comes down over my eyes,” he said of the one-size-fits-all item. “People just fold it up because it is too big.
“You look like a Conehead when you pull it up so it is not in your eyes,” Jackson said. “I’d rather see it rolled up than guys walking around like Coneheads.”
Whatever the drawbacks, the microfleece cap should be made part of the ACU and authorized for wear around garrison on cold days, not just with the PT uniform, said Jackson, a tanker with the 172nd Infantry Brigade.
“Where I work in the motor pool, in winter, I’d love to be able to wear it,” he said.
